NINE out of 10 Welsh farmers will receive the main EU agricultural subsidy on the first day of payments, it was announced as the Royal Welsh Winter Fair got under way yesterday.

Alun Davies, deputy minister for agriculture, said more than 15,000 farmers’ claims under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) will be processed for payments totalling more than £213m.

The deputy minister said: “I am delighted to announce that 91% of farmers in Wales will be paid under the SPS on the first day of the payment period.

“This is good news – despite the fact that the euro exchange rate is down by almost 8% on last year causing an unwelcome reduction to the value of payments received.

At the fair in Llanelwedd yesterday, Olympic champion cyclist Geraint Thomas went head-to-head with a top chef.

Welsh double Olympic pursuit champion Geraint Thomas, who won gold at the London 2012 and Beijing 2008 Olympics, raced to see if he could cycle 4km faster than Great British Menu chef Stephen Terry could cook Welsh Lamb.

Victory went to Terry, owner and head chef at The Hardwick in Abergavenny, who presented his dish of Welsh Lamb fillets to Thomas to try after he got his breath back.

It was also announced that Chief Superintendent Steve Hughson has been appointed chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society.

A farmer's son from Newbridge-on-Wye, in Mid Wales, he transferred to Dyfed-Powys Police from the London Metropolitan Police in 1992.